Sociology Professor, Labor Expert Reacts to NYC Nurses Strike

More than 7,000 nurses of the New York State Nurses Association are on strike today at hospitals in the Bronx and in Harlem. The activity is expected to last throughout the day and into the evening, with a press conference happening at 12 PM ET.

Gretchen Purser is an associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She is co-director of the Lender Center for Social Justice and coordinates the Labor Studies Working Group for the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration.

Professor Purser provides written comments below that can be quoted directly. She is also available for interviews.

Purser says:

“This strike by the New York State Nurses Association is one that everyone should be paying attention to.

“Nurses ­­– who have worked in untenable conditions throughout the pandemic – have been tirelessly raising concerns about chronic understaffing and the inadequate provision of care for patients. They are striking to demand a fair contract that puts patient care and safety, as opposed to managerial penny-pinching, at the forefront.

“Every single one of us should be invested in this struggle.”

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